Today, I am a reporter.
I've officially started working for the college newspaper.
The Lakelander tries hard, but it often ends up being a flimsy bi-weekly cage-liner filled with about as much substance as a communion wafer. (For non-ex-Catholics: trust me, you could eat a million of those things and still be hungry.)
My first story will be on the local bus system and its recent service cuts. Laketran buses (I know, Lakeland and Laketran, it's confusing) now only run from 7 AM to 7 PM Monday through Friday, and this has ended up screwing a lot of people over, including me. My teacher (and faculty adviser for the Lakelander) immediately provided me with the phone number of the PR representative for Laketran. I've already called to schedule a phone interview with her. I'm also interviewing the Dean of Student Activities at Lakeland, who's responsible for facilitating the ongoing contract between Lakeland and Laketran, which has allowed Lakeland students to ride the bus free for years. I want to know how the service cuts have affected the contract. I also want to know if budget cuts to student activities may jeopardize free rides in the future.
I'm interviewing people who ride the bus, bus drivers, and anyone else who gives a shit. I've already got quite a bit of info, and I just started today- er, it's after midnight- yesterday at 4 PM. Good thing, too, since the submission deadline is September 2.
My next story will be on the loss of the state grants. And no, it will not simply be a re-hash of my earlier bitchfest. I want this to be a real news story, with research and things.
Holy crap. What did I get myself into?
The Lakelander tries hard, but it often ends up being a flimsy bi-weekly cage-liner filled with about as much substance as a communion wafer. (For non-ex-Catholics: trust me, you could eat a million of those things and still be hungry.)
My first story will be on the local bus system and its recent service cuts. Laketran buses (I know, Lakeland and Laketran, it's confusing) now only run from 7 AM to 7 PM Monday through Friday, and this has ended up screwing a lot of people over, including me. My teacher (and faculty adviser for the Lakelander) immediately provided me with the phone number of the PR representative for Laketran. I've already called to schedule a phone interview with her. I'm also interviewing the Dean of Student Activities at Lakeland, who's responsible for facilitating the ongoing contract between Lakeland and Laketran, which has allowed Lakeland students to ride the bus free for years. I want to know how the service cuts have affected the contract. I also want to know if budget cuts to student activities may jeopardize free rides in the future.
I'm interviewing people who ride the bus, bus drivers, and anyone else who gives a shit. I've already got quite a bit of info, and I just started today- er, it's after midnight- yesterday at 4 PM. Good thing, too, since the submission deadline is September 2.
My next story will be on the loss of the state grants. And no, it will not simply be a re-hash of my earlier bitchfest. I want this to be a real news story, with research and things.
Holy crap. What did I get myself into?